News

The Reuse Minnesota Board of Directors is currently seeking nominations for board members. For complete details on the nomination process and board role, visit our website. 

If you are interested, complete this form no later than October 7, 2022. If you prefer, you may email your responses to president@reusemn.org (subject line: Board nomination). Voting by members will take place October 17 - November 1. New board members will be introduced at the annual meeting on November 15.

Overview: Reuse Minnesota is seeking an individual or firm that is well-versed in conducting business needs assessments, and that demonstrates an understanding of and appreciation for our mission, values, and strategies. We seek to understand the needs of our current and past members and other reuse businesses and organizations in Minnesota. Ideal candidates will demonstrate existing familiarity with Minnesota businesses and resources. Results from this assessment will be used to inform and prioritize our work and resource creation, in order to best support the growth and vitality of reuse businesses in Minnesota.

Questions may be submitted at any time prior to the submission deadline. Questions and complete proposals should be submitted to info@reusemn.org, attention to Emily Barker. Proposals will be accepted through 4:00 pm (Central) on Tuesday, July 19, 2022.

Funding for this project is from the State of Minnesota’s Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF).

View complete RFP and project details here.

Reuse Minnesota was mentioned in an article about circular economies in Forbes! Thank you Garry Cooper, CEO of Rheaply, Inc. for highlighting the impact that Reuse Minnesota has on building a strong reuse economy.

Big news from our Right to Repair colleagues! New York state passes first-ever ‘right to repair’ law for electronics! Read the article here.

We will be hosting the annual REUSE22 Conference at the University of St. Thomas Schulze Hall in Minneapolis, MN. As part of our organization’s 10-year anniversary, we will be hosting social events on October 3, with the conference taking place on October 4. 

Our conference brings together individuals and groups from all around the state and beyond. We will highlight experts, business owners and community members in the reuse, repair, and rental sector. The majority of our conference will be in-person, but we are offering a limited virtual track.

Please consider signing up to be a speaker, exhibitor, or sponsor. The speaker proposal deadline is June 22! Visit the REUSE22 Conference site for all the details and to register.

Registration opens on June 1!

Thank you Bridging, Eureka Recycling, Minnesota Waste Wise Foundation, and The Green Mission, Inc. for being the first organizations to sign up as sponsors of our conference!

Ramsey County is hiring for an Outreach and Engagement Supervisor in Environmental Health. The posting will be open until 5/26/22 at 11:59 p.m.

The position provides leadership for the communication and community engagement efforts of the Environmental Health Division, with a focus on solid waste and recycling management. The unit works with communities throughout the county by engaging residents, businesses and schools, raising awareness through outreach and education, developing partnerships and networking, while being inclusive of environmental justice and health and racial equity considerations. This supervisor works in collaboration with the Ramsey County Communications and Public Relations department and works closely with communication staff in Washington County and with Ramsey/Washington Recycling and Energy. Responsibilities include providing direction of division communications including various media (social, news, advertising), managing contracts for consultants specializing in different cultures, planning, design and placement of social media and advertising, development of key communication vehicles such as the annual residential recycling guide and the Ramsey Recycles marketing campaign, and oversight of the Recycling Ambassadors and Fix-it Clinics.

To view job posting details and to apply: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/Ramsey/jobs/3546260/environmental-health-supervisor?keywords=environmental%20health&pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs

We are excited to be partnering with Rethos: Places Reimagined to host a Minnesota GreenCorps member this year! If you or someone you know wants to spend a year of service addressing critical environmental issues and gaining valuable experience and job skills, we encourage you to apply! Rethos will serve as the host site for our GreenCorps member, but you will get to work with the incredible folks at both Reuse Minnesota and Rethos.

The focus of our GreenCorps member will be to: engage and educate Minnesota communities, organizations, and individuals in the practices of preservation and reuse through outreach, storytelling, and media. The member will work to:

• Create and promote a toolkit and guidelines for executing a community materials salvage project
• Participate as a planning team member for the annual Buildings on Main Street Conference and the Reuse Minnesota Conference
• Create homeowner class packages on home repair and maintenance, reuse and salvage, and energy efficiency that can be used by different communities for onsite learning
• Conduct a survey of Reuse Minnesota members and create storytelling tools to creatively share the environmental, economic, and social benefits of reuse organizations in Minnesota

Minnesota GreenCorps is a statewide AmeriCorps program coordinated by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). The MPCA is recruiting 48 full-time members to serve for 11 months, from September 2022 to August 2023.

Learn more at: https://www.pca.state.mn.us/mngreencorps/program-information and apply by June 16.

Hennepin County is in the process of developing a Zero-Waste Plan. Once adopted, the operational plan will map Hennepin County to a zero-waste future where 90% or more of the County’s discarded materials are diverted from disposal in landfills, incinerators, and the environment.

The county is committed to conducting an inclusive, collaborative, and transparent stakeholder process during which both experts and concerned residents can come together to provide input on what is needed to realize a zero-waste future. If you live or work in Hennepin County, your feedback is requested. The listening session seeks your input on the following topics:

• Major obstacles to reaching zero waste
• Identification of gaps that the county’s zero-waste approach will need to fill
• Opportunities for Hennepin County, cities, residents, and businesses to transition to a zero-waste future in a manner that advances racial equity and mitigates unintended negative consequences

Please sign up for one of two targeted listening sessions:
1. Contractor, architect, or building material reuse reseller - May 4 from 1-2:30pm
2. Reuse or repair retailer or advocate - May 6 from 1-2:30pm

If you are a contractor, architect, or building material reuse reseller:

Your participation is needed in this 90-minute targeted stakeholder meeting on May 4 from 1:00-2:30 pm.

Please click on the link below to register for the construction and demolition and building material reuse industry stakeholder meeting:

https://recycle.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqc--qqzMuHNbmUb-jZhY9vZUDzodRIN1o

If you have questions about the stakeholder meetings, the zero-waste planning process, or if you cannot participate in the meeting but would still like to share input, please contact Carolyn Collopy at Carolyn.Collopy@hennepin.us.  

If you are a reuse or repair retailer or advocate:

Hennepin County is seeking your participation in a 90-minute targeted stakeholder meeting on May 6 from 1:00-2:30 pm. 

Please click on the link below to register for the reuse and repair industry stakeholder meeting:

https://recycle.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZApf--rqj0sE9wmNuMsXYJz3Gra94ACzFsy

If you have questions about the stakeholder meetings, the zero-waste planning process, or if you cannot participate in the meeting but would still like to share input, please contact Ben Knudson at Ben.Knudson@hennepin.us.  

Congratulations to Reuse Minnesota member, Tech Dump for winning the Twin Cities Business Magazine 2022 Community Impact Award!! They are being recognized as a nonprofit making a significant difference in the state of Minnesota, for their leadership in the responsible recycling of electronics, as well as providing jobs and training for adults experiencing barriers to employment. We congratulate Tech Dump and the other award nominees on a job well done!

More about Tech Dump and each of the award recipients can be found in the print and digital April/May editions of Twin Cities Business --> https://tcbmag.com/

2022 Community Impact Award winners will be celebrated at an event on May 25 at the Metropolitan Ballroom. To purchase tickets --> https://tcbmag.com/events/cia22/

Read more about what the award means to Tech Dump --> https://www.techdump.org/tech-dump-wins-community-impact.../

Overview

Reuse Minnesota is seeking an individual or firm that is well-versed in concepts and use of life cycle analysis and datasets to provide and execute a methodology/tool(s) for measuring the statewide impacts of reuse activities. The tool(s) will be used to document the benefits of the products and services provided by reuse businesses and organizations in Minnesota. At the conclusion of this contract, a formal report will summarize the findings and provide a detailed methodology for the approaches used to measure these impacts. 

Funding for this project is from the State of Minnesota’s Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF). 

Proposal submittal 

Proposals should include a detailed budget, desired payment schedule, and names and qualifications of key individuals involved with the project. 

Submit proposals to info@reusemn.org by 4:00 pm (Central) on Monday, April 4, 2022, attention to Emily Barker. Please use the subject line of “Proposal: Measuring statewide impacts of reuse.”

See full RFP details here.